Butler's garter snake

Last updated

Butler's garter snake
Thamnophis butleri 1.jpg
Butler's garter snake
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Thamnophis
Species:
T. butleri
Binomial name
Thamnophis butleri
(Cope, 1889)
Synonyms
  • Eutænia butleri
    Cope, 1889
  • Tropidonotus ordinatus Var. butleri
    Boulenger, 1893
  • Thamnophis butleri
    Stejneger, 1895
  • Tropidonotus butleri
    — Boulenger, 1896
  • Eutaenia butlerii
    — Cope, 1900
  • Thamnophis butleri
    — Stejneger & Barbour, 1917
  • Thamnophis butleri
    Schmidt & Davis, 1941
  • Thamnophis radix butleri
    Wright & Wright, 1957
  • Thamnophis butleri
    Conant, 1975

Butler's garter snake (Thamnophis butleri) is a species of garter snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America. [1]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name butleri is in honor of ornithologist Amos Butler (1860-1937) of Brookville, Indiana. [2] [3]

Geographic range

T. butleri is found in northwestern Ohio, northeastern Indiana, the eastern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and the adjacent extreme southern tip of Ontario, Canada. Also, a disjunct population is found in southeastern Wisconsin. [4]

Description and identification

T. butleri is a small, slender snake, averaging 38–51 cm (15–20 in) in total length (including tail), with three yellow to orange stripes along the length of its body. The background color can range from olive-brown to black, and it may also be possible to discern two rows of dark spots between the side and back stripes. These features do little to distinguish it from most other garter snakes species, but the placement of the lateral, or side, stripes is unique to this species. In Butler's garter snake the lateral stripes are centered on the third scale row up from the ventral scales, and they also overlap the adjacent second and fourth scale rows. This contrasts with the lateral stripe placement of other garter snake species.

For those hoping to avoid getting close enough to inspect the position of the lateral stripe, other features may help in their identification. The head is unusually small for a garter snake, and, when excited, the effort this snake expends to escape seems to go more towards thrashing in place than to getting away.

Ecology

Butler's garter snake inhabits moist, grassy, open canopy areas, such as meadows, wet prairies, marshes, savannas, and grasslands. Like Kirtland's snake, it may also be found in grassy vacant lots in suburban and residential areas. The species can often be found under rocks, logs, trash, and boards. It subsists on a diet of mainly earthworms, but it may also eat leeches, salamanders, and frogs. The species hibernates communally, often with other garter snake species. Butler's garter snake is a relatively short-lived species, and it reaches sexual maturity in its second spring.

Reproduction

T. butleri is ovoviviparous. Mating takes place in late March and early April. The young are born in June or July, in broods of four to 14. [5] The newborns are 13–18 cm (5.1–7.1 in) long. [4]

Conservation status

In Indiana, Butler's garter snake is listed as an endangered species. [6] In Ontario, the species is also listed as endangered. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garter snake</span> Common name for North American snakes of the genus Thamnophis

Garter snake is the common name for small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus Thamnophis in the family Colubridae. They are native to North and Central America, ranging from central Canada in the north to Costa Rica in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common garter snake</span> Species of snake

The common garter snake is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent. There are several recognized subspecies. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a black, brown or green background, and their average total length is about 55 cm (22 in), with a maximum total length of about 137 cm (54 in). The average body mass is 150 g (5.3 oz). The common garter snake is the state reptile of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen snake</span> Species of snakes

The queen snake is a species of nonvenomous semiaquatic snake, a member of the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America.

<i>Tropidoclonion</i> Genus of snakes

Tropidoclonion is a genus of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The genus is monotypic, containing the sole species Tropidoclonion lineatum, commonly known as the lined snake. The species is endemic to North America.

<i>Thamnophis saurita</i> Species of snake

Thamnophis saurita, also known as the eastern ribbon snake, common ribbon snake, or simply ribbon snake, is a common species of garter snake native to Eastern North America. It is a non-venomous species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The ribbon snake averages 16 to 35 inches in total length. It is dark brown with bright yellow stripes. The ribbon snake is not sexually dimorphic; however, females are normally thicker than their male counterparts.

Roger Conant was an American herpetologist, author, educator and conservationist. He was Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Zoo and adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico. He wrote one of the first comprehensive field guides for North American reptiles in 1958 entitled: A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, in the Peterson Field Guide series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco garter snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The San Francisco garter snake is a slender multi-colored subspecies of the common garter snake. Designated as an endangered subspecies since the year 1967, it is endemic to San Mateo County and the extreme northern part of coastal Santa Cruz County in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas garter snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The Texas garter snake is a subspecies of the common garter snake. The subspecies, which belongs to the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae, is native to the western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern garter snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The eastern garter snake is a medium-sized snake indigenous to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Checkered garter snake</span> Species of snake

The checkered garter snake is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeKay's brown snake</span> Species of snake

Storeria dekayi, commonly known as De Kay's brown snake, De Kay's snake, and simply the brown snake, is a small non-venomous species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to North America and Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains garter snake</span> Species of snake

The plains garter snake is a species of garter snake native to most of the central United States as far north as Canada and as far south as Texas. It has a distinctive orange or yellow stripe from its head to tail, and the rest of its body is mainly a gray-green color. The snake is commonly found living near water sources such as streams and ponds, but can also be found in urban areas and vacant lots. Although the IUCN lists the species as "Least Concern", some states have given it their own special status. This species is mildly venomous, although the venom is not toxic to humans.

<i>Regina grahamii</i> Species of snake

Regina grahamii, commonly known as Graham's crayfish snake, is a species of nonvenomous semiaquatic snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the central United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-striped garter snake</span> Species of snake

The two-striped garter snake is a species of aquatic snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to western North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern garter snake</span> Species of snake

The northwestern garter snake is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern crown snake</span> Species of snake

The southeastern crown snake is a common species of small colubrid snake endemic to the southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern ribbon snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The southern ribbon snake(Thamnophis saurita sackenii), also known commonly as the peninsula ribbon snake and the Florida ribbon snake, is a subspecies of garter snake in the family Colubridae. It is one of four subspecies of the ribbon snake.

<i>Thamnophis proximus</i> Species of snake

Thamnophis proximus, commonly known as the western ribbon snake or western ribbonsnake, is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is found in the central and southern United States, Mexico, and Central America south to central Costa Rica. The species has six recognized subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shorthead garter snake</span> Species of snake

Thamnophis brachystoma, commonly known as the shorthead garter snake or short-headed gartersnake, is a small species of colubrid snake. The species is endemic to the north-eastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra garter snake</span> Species of snake

Thamnophis couchii, commonly known as Couch's garter snake, the Sierra garter snake, or the western aquatic garter snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the western United States.

References

  1. Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie Jr. (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN   0-307-47009-1 (hardcover), ISBN   0-307-13666-3 (paperback). (Thamnophis butleri, pp. 146-147).
  2. Cope (1889).
  3. Beolens, Bo, Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Thamnophis butleri, p. 44).
  4. 1 2 Conant, Roger. (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. ISBN   0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN   0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Thamnophis butleri, p. 161 + Plate 23 + Map 113).
  5. Schmidt, K.P., and D.D. Davis. (1941). Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (Thamnophis butleri, pp. 251-252).
  6. Indiana Legislative Services Agency (2011), "312 IAC 9-5-4: Endangered species of reptiles and amphibians", Indiana Administrative Code, retrieved 28 Apr 2012
  7. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Butler's Gartersnake, archived from the original on 4 September 2015, retrieved 29 Apr 2013

Further reading